Investors at the Dhaka and Chattogram bourses ended the week on a sour note, snapping a streak of consecutive weekly gains as key indices fell notably in the four-day trading week.
The week began with a rally on Sunday last, but the remaining three sessions saw persistent declines. Trading was closed on Tuesday to mark the anniversary of the July Uprising.
Over the week, the DSEX, the benchmark index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), lost 35 points.
The Shariah-based DSES shed 18 points, while the DS30 index of blue-chip companies fell 16 points.
Most issues traded on the DSE ended lower during the week.
Of the traded securities, prices dropped for 227 companies, advanced for 138 and remained unchanged for 30.
Despite the index fall and price losses for most companies, turnover did not shrink. Investor participation remained robust, with the DSE posting an average daily turnover of Tk 911 crore this week, up 8.64% from Tk 838 crore in the previous week.
Bank stocks dominated trading throughout the week. The most active scrips in this sector included City Bank, Jamuna Bank, Uttara Bank and BRAC Bank.
But the heavy trading failed to lift prices in the sector. Of the 36 listed banks, none saw gains; prices dropped for 32 and stayed flat for 4. Overall, bank share prices declined by more than 12 per cent.
According to the DSE鈥檚 weekly review, non-bank financial institutions performed better, with prices gaining over 8% and turnover rising more than 6%. Other sectors also fared well, with notable gains in jute, engineering, and paper and printing.
The jute sector topped the list with prices soaring 175 per cent during the week.
Progati Life Insurance led the weekly gainers on the DSE, with returns climbing over 19%. The company鈥檚 share price rose from Tk 103 to Tk 123 within the week. On the flip side, SEML Lecture Equity Management Fund suffered the steepest loss, with returns plunging over 10% in four sessions.
Following the DSE鈥檚 trend, the overall index of the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) slipped 9 points over the week. However, most traded companies on the port city bourse ended higher.
Of the 314 issues traded, prices rose for 160, fell for 136 and stayed unchanged for 18.
The top gainers on the CSE included Tallu Spinning Mills, Sonali Paper and Board, Popular Life Insurance, Malek Spinning Mills and Samata Leather Complex.
The worst performers were BD General Insurance, Phoenix Finance and Investment, Hami Industries, Peoples Leasing and SBAC Bank PLC.
NCC Bank, Orion Infusion, BRAC Bank, United Commercial Bank and Khan Brothers were the most traded shares on the CSE during the week.
